West Indies bowl; South Africa prefer Abbott

[[JUGRAJ SINGH]]

West Indies won the toss and decided to bowl against South Africa

West Indies had the first moment of the Test series fall in their favour when Denesh Ramdin won the toss and put South Africa into bat at Centurion in what promises to be bowler-friendly conditions, on a surface with a good covering of grass on a ground which generally assists the fast bowlers.

The toss was delayed by half an hour by morning rain and the skies remained heavy as Ramdin and Hashim Amla, in his first Test as captain on home soil, emerged for the toss. The forecast for the next few days is not entirely promising, so conditions which favour the bowlers could help the game keep moving on.

South Africa have gone for a full hand of quick bowlers, preferring Kyle Abbott ahead of left-arm spinner Robin Petersen, while Stiaan van Zyl was confirmed at No. 6 after being presented his cap by the injured JP Duminy.

West Indies, however, have kept their options open by selecting Sulieman Benn as a frontline spinner. Leon Johnson takes the No. 3 spot and Jermaine Blackwood is in at No. 6.

South Africa 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kyle Abbott

West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Sulieman Benn